The making of a man.
As a young child, Ted had striking blue silver eyes which never ceased to twinkle. He was energetic like any young boy and got into his share of mischief. In 1948 Ted and his family moved to the City of Toronto. As the family separated and his father and big brother moved away, Ted remained with his mother and sister. This loss of his brother and father from his day-to-day life, forever imprinted the importance of family on him.
As Ted grew, his high intelligence separated him from his peers, and resulted in him skipping grades not once, but twice. He excelled in schoolwork and entered high school two years younger than any other child. He continued to apply himself and graduated high school with honors.
Ted attended Ukrainian school in the evenings and a Scout Club CYM, Ukrainian Youth Association on Saturdays. He grew curious about history, taught himself about his Ukrainian heritage and learned further about Ukrainian history inside out. He studied the political dynamics and effects the wars had on Ukraine. He became a walking Encyclopedia or real live Google on this topic! One of his pet peeves was to hear someone us the term “The Ukraine” he said it would be like going around saying “The Canada”.
Growing up Ted and his sister regularly attended both masses at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, then at St Volodymyr Orthodox Church. He was instrumental in having Catholic and Orthodox teens meet and in the Ukrainian sense, caused “mixed marriages”.
Ted went onto enter the University of Toronto two years earlier than his peers. He couldn’t vote until the second half of his third year! He was elected to be the President of the Ukrainian Student’s Club, and through this time he found his place in University and went on to successfully complete his Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree. He did not stop there, though he understood the value of Professional Designation and went on to complete the Engineer in Training (EIT) program and was designated a Professional Engineer (P-Eng).
You will always be Uncle Teddy to us.
Ted was a middle child who was never married and did not have any biological children; but was a father figure and loved deeply by every one of his nieces and nephew.
Ted is best known for his love and dedication to his family and generosity of time. He enjoyed fishing and hunting (especially with his brother) and nieces and nephews if the opportunity presented. He never missed a birthday, holiday, or special occasion. He was known to provide meaningful gifts to the birthday child and something also for each of the other children in the home, so they did not feel left out. I am sure we all had at least 100 stuffed animals and very colorful striped sweaters because of Uncle Ted!
You could always count on a visit every other week, and sometimes weekly from Uncle Teddy, as you know he would be visiting his brother or sister regularly. They shared an unbreakable bond and he made time for them whenever possible and even sometimes when it was not possible. It was the best part of the week for his nieces and nephews, as he took time to listen and talk to them also, he provided wise counsel and often ended the night with a good wrestling match as well.
I recall vividly one of these weekly visits when I was five or six, and Uncle Teddy came upstairs to supervise the getting ready for bed process of two little girls. He watched me brush my teeth with the speed of a child wanting nothing more than a good play time before bed with her uncle. He made me stop and re-do it, showed me how to do it, explained these are the only teeth I will ever have, and why it was important to clean them and look after them. I still have my own very clean and healthy teeth to this day, as result of his influence, time and care taken to teach me this life lesson.
Uncle Teddy was known for his Christmas present precision wrapping. He taught us all this skill, how to fold, tape and ensure that there were clean crisp lines and folds which indicates to the recipient you cared enough to take the time to do it right. Not to mention I think he had stocks in Scotch tape as you often would require a knife to get the present wrapping open.
He was so dedicated to ensuring we had what we need for each holiday, he pre-planned every gift. For Easter one year, he pre-planned and purchased the Laura Secord Chocolate bunnies early and not anticipating a freakishly hot day in March, left them in the trunk only to find them all melted into an unrecognizable lump. We laughed so hard at the deformed bunnies, but never fear, he replaced them the following week.
If you ever needed a hand moving, guess who was there? Yep, Uncle Ted, he packed and carried boxes, ensured we were fed and then continued to help unpack, set up furniture, make our beds and tuck us in after a long, long day.
Uncle Ted was there as a father figure for his brother’s daughters; whether it was stepping in to walk us down the aisle, make a toast, or stepping in for the father daughter dance; he was there with a huge smile and bursting with pride each and every time.
Uncle Ted was there for his sister’s son and daughter when their father passed away in 1993. He stayed the course from that point forward and was there to help mediate sibling wars, to provide advice and guidance as paths in life, was there to just listen, and support with love and kindness every step of the way. He was so proud and honored to take on this role.
On a recent visit in August while out for dinner, we discovered he also shared the love a good filet minion steak, carrot cake and of course pinot grigio wine – only the organic kind of course. Uncle Ted appreciated the quality things in life almost as much as he appreciated time spent with family.
The Dedicated Family Man
Ted had the privileged opportunity to visit Ukraine as a political Election Observer. He was so proud to participate in the Orange Revolution and be part of history in the making. He also capitalized on this opportunity to meet and grow to love his family which previously he had only been able to communicate with through penned letters.
Ted travelled with his mother another time to Ukraine in order to attend his niece Krystal’s Lenstra’s wedding. He has recounted the story of this major trip with his 89-year-old mother with such humor and affection. You see, as children the family was taught that they were never to sleep in moving vehicles. As a result, Ted’s mother, tapped his arm relentlessly during the 12-hour flight to Ukraine, every single time ted closed his eyes for a moment. Well, that was not going to happen on the way home. Determined to wear her out before their flight, Ted took his mother to visit family graves, senior neighbors and more family. They ended with the wedding reception just prior to the flight, and she slept through the entire reception resulting in her being wide awake and refreshed for the flight home.
Actually, he was the most the most patient and devoted person towards his mom and would take her to the Bloor West Festival, Horodynsky Farm Picnic and Remembrance Day services, her friends graves and all her medical appointments. Ted was his mother’s link to the world!
Ted continued living at home and looked after his aging mother until her death at the age of 98. Ted was dedicated to all family members, but no one more so than his mother. He ensured she was able to visit their family members often, including every holiday, birthday or special event. He would ensure he was available to take her to appointments, listen intently to instructions and take care of her in their home until she passed.
He will be deeply missed by everyone he leaves behind. He is loved deeply and will be forever in our hearts.
